Brakes on the 156

[Coq au Vin]

I test drove a 156 this morning - a 2001 2.0 TS, low miles and in very tidy condition. I loved how it steered and handled etc, but was a bit surprised about the brakes - they seemed to lack power, bite and feel and didn't suit the nature of the car at all (and certainly didn't inspire confidence). The ABS seemed to cut in very early as well - even at quite low speeds.

The car had almost new discs, and as far as I could see the pads had a fair bit of meat on them too.

This is the only one I've driven so far, so I have nothing to compare it to. Does this sound normal for the brakes on the 156 TS?

[alfabadass]

156 brakes are very strange but you learn to predict them...

[mitch_]

I'd suggest looking at the condition, age and pressure of the tyres. If a tyre isn't performing the brakes can't either. If the car has been stood the pads might have glazed over, in which they'd need taking out and scuffing up.

[herbialfa]

Standard 156 brakes are pish, but very easy to update!

[velocemitch]

I agree, you need to at least change the pads for something like Ferodo DS.
I love 156's but I can't defend the brakes or the suspension bushes much...

[Coq au Vin]

3 of the tyres were almost new - but they were Goodyear NCT5s, which I gather are a lower rolling resistance tyre. Not something I would put on a 156 myself. The left rear was an almost bald firestone, so the tyres may well have had something to do with the strange ABS behaviour.

I think I'll be giving this particular car a miss, but I think when I do buy one I'll be swapping the pads for some performance ones (Ferodo DS sounds good) and braided hoses.

[TIPPER]

I've been pleased with the brakes on my recently acquired 156TS (52 plate 1.8). I've no idea what pads its has but I reckon the initial 'bite' is OK, the ABS hasn't been a nuisance and I seem to be able to modulate them easy enough. The pads tend to a bit of squeel at low speeds so they may be a performance compound.
For reference, my other car is an Elise running EBC turbogrooves and Yellowstuff (new compound) pads, a combination that works well on road and occasional track days. Elise brakes are generally reckoned to be superb.

[jwyatt]

I had a "normal" 156 before my GTA (which has large 4-pot Brembo's shared with many much quicker cars and thus and a totally different feel) and the brakes were not great - the ABS does indeed cut in too soon on bumpy surfaces - but they were fine for spirited driving when you got used to needing a bit more pedal pressure than most modern cars. They were better when warm, too.

I was however absolutely shocked at the brakes on the 156 facelift 2.0 that I had as a loan car last summer - it was the same age as my GTA (2005, and only 30k ish miles) and was in good condition overall, yet the brakes were so appallingly bad I reported them as an incident waiting to happen when I returned the car. Even from very moderate speeds extreme pressure was needed to slow the car perceptibly, let alone stop. So I know there are some bad ones out there. I'm not sure if the problem is master cylinders or just aged fluid/pads/discs but it would pay to look into it. Alfa are not the best at supplying compatible pads/discs as standard so aftermarket pads and some decent fluid would be a good first step in any 156 that had issues. And caning them, a bit first to see if they're just glazed... I change my fluid every 2 years at most in the GTA and that alone makes a perceptible difference.

Edited by jwyatt on Tuesday 25th November 16:13